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cutting the cord

Janet wants to cut the cable. She's heard of the StreamSmart TV box. Does Leo know anything about it? Leo says that there's a lot of boxes for sale on the internet that pirate content online. The StreamSmart TV box is one of them. Leo recommends getting a Roku device and YouTubeTV. But if you think you'll save money cutting the cord, it's not really going to happen. Internet access. Over the top live TV. A premium channel here or there. Netflix. Next thing you know, you're paying $200 a month again. It all adds up.

Jennifer is retired and doesn't want to pay for cable, so she has an antenna. She wants a few cable channels, though. Leo says she may be able to stream those channels online through her internet access. Leo recommends streaming from the cable channel website, or use a streaming box like the Roku Express. It's cheap. She should also check out tvfool.com for how to point her antenna to get the most channels.

Yesterday was "cut the cord day." Started by TV maker TCL, it's the day to commemorate canceling your cable or satellite subscription in favor of streaming video online. But Scott says that while cord cutting is extremely popular, the options we're getting is really just another spin on the cable model. He hopes that someday we'll get true ala carte programming where you just pay for what you want. But currently, Sling, YouTube, Hulu, and DirecTV Now are all just "cable lite." And in many ways, you end up paying more or the same amount by cord cutting. That may be the whole idea.

Mike recently "cut the cord" and streams only via Roku. Leo says that what's apparent is that cord cutting doesn't really save money. When you consider Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime subscriptions, he's paying just as much, if not more. That's not the reason to cut the cord. The reason is to send a message that he's not going to take it anymore from the cable companies.

Judy wants to know about the Jetstream Movie box. She gets all her entertainment options from satellite and antenna and she's thinking about "cutting the cord." Leo says he recommends the Roku Box. It uses the Internet to bring her streaming video from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc. But it won't give her the local live broadcast channels. Neither does Jetstream, for that matter.

Blake is tired of the rising prices of DirecTV. What are her alternatives? Leo says that it's still probably cheaper than cable. Of Course, Blake could "cut the cable" altogether and stream everything. But live broadcasts would still be an issue.